1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable multi-purpose illumination device, and more particularly to a light source that can be positioned for hands-free task lighting, magnified inspection, hand-held conventional flashlight use, or mirrored viewing of an otherwise obstructed object.
2. Background of the Related Art
Light sources have many applications and are in widespread use. One common example is the ordinary flashlight. The flashlight has many advantages and it is safe and easily used by almost any person including children. Common flashlights come in many sizes and some are small enough to fit into a pocket or the like. Even though flashlights are small, they produce good illumination. However, despite these advantages flashlights have certain disadvantages. One big disadvantage is that flashlights are not suited for use in many situations where the user needs to employ both hands. Two hands are frequently required in situations where additional light is necessary or desirable. For instance, changing an automobile tire usually requires the use of both hands. If this is done at night, when there is no other person to hold the flashlight, the person changing the tire must find some way to support and aim the flashlight. The same problem exists when performing work on an engine under the hood of a car.
Another disadvantage of conventional flashlights is that often light will not reach an area in a crowded location that requires illumination. For example, the engine compartment of a modern car is so filled with hoses, belts, and wires that they limit access to tools. At times, it is necessary to illuminate a work area within the engine compartment, but this may not be possible due to the limited space available, the size of the flashlight, and the hand holding it. Consequently, the flashlight must be held at a considerable distance from the work area and thus the light can be interrupted by hoses, belts, etc. so that the intended work area or space is inadequately illuminated.
There are other portable lights with specialized uses, such as book lights for reading, that do not require the use of a hand to hold it, but again these are not versatile. A book light may be excellent for its intended purpose, but it does not function well as a multi-purpose flashlight.
There are some types of specialized flashlights, such as those secured to a hat or a belt by a clip, which project and direct light in front of the user. This type of light can be worn while walking and allows the hands to be free to carry equipment. However, it is designed for a specialized use and is not versatile.
There are some limited alternatives to flashlights for specialized purposes. Such devices may include a book light that includes a base, a neck portion, and a light. These devices are typically used in situations where localized light is required for reading a book. Book lights are designed to hold the light source at a designated and generally limited distance from the book. Thus, book lights are not versatile and they produce a light that has a bright illumination at the center of an illuminated area, which fades to poor light towards a periphery of the illuminated area. Consequently, the uses for such lights are relatively limited.
There are specialized light needs that do not have satisfactory light sources. An example of this is the keyboard of a computer, particularly the keyboard of a laptop computer. Frequently, computers are used in low light situations and, while the user is able to view the screen, the user has difficulty seeing the computer keyboard and associated reading material next to the keyboard. There are portable light devices available to the computer user, but such devices are simple too bulky and are not generally used for tasks that are not associated with the computers.
All of the previously mentioned lights are practically useless in situations where an area that is to be worked on or within cannot be viewed directly by the person that is attempting to perform a task in the obscured area. An example of this situation is working on an automobile engine where the bolts or the like that are to be removed cannot be viewed by the person working on the engine. This type of situation requires more than just direct illumination that a flashlight or the like can supply. In this situation, it is necessary to provide the person with a view of the area that he or she cannot see directly. Consequently, in this situation, some type of reflecting means is necessary to reflect an image of the work area, as well as an illumination source to illuminate the area where the work is to be preformed. There is a definite need for a device that provides a user with the capability of reflecting an image as well as illuminating a work area or an obscured area that is not possible with prior art flashlights and the like.
There are lighting devices that use flexible necks. These devices have a light at the tip of a neck. On some of these devices, the neck wraps around a base power source for storage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,483 to Noel E. Zeller (1992) discloses a flashlight with a flexible extension stored in a peripheral groove of a power-housing base. Zeller's peripheral groove is not designed to store precise lengths of neck, however. In addition, a user of Zeller's light is forced to manipulate the neck and power-housing base to free the neck. The present invention overcomes this problem by allowing a user to select a precise length of neck without touching, manipulating, or even using a power-housing base. The present invention allows a user to select a short length of neck to illuminate a small area, such as a paperback novel, or a longer length of neck to illuminate a larger area, such as several pages of sheet music. By not storing the neck around the power-housing base, the present invention retains an adjustable length neck when it is attached to other devices, such as a USB port on a computer or a cigarette lighter power source in a car. In addition, Zeller's light is designed for specialized use and is not as versatile as the portable multi-purpose illumination device of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,036,000 to William H. Pease (1912) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,453 to Steven Coan and Gerald T. Mroch (2000) disclose devices designed for inspection of an obstructed field of view. However, these devices use necks that are not flexible and storable to precisely adjustable lengths. The present invention overcomes these limitations. In addition, the devices of Pease, Coan and Mroch are designed for specialized use and are not as versatile as the portable multi-purpose illumination device of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,036,000 to William H. Pease (1912) uses a mirror and lamp where the mirror can rotate in only one plane. U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,643 to Gordon W. Clemmer, Jr. (2002) makes use of a mirror with two joints, to rotate the mirror in two planes. These devices are not designed to permit the user to quickly replace the mirror with lenses, color filters, and the like, however. The portable multi-purpose illumination device of the present invention overcomes these limitations by using a single joint, i.e., a ball and socket assembly, that is less expensive to manufacture, and allows the user to quickly and easily change from a mirror to a lens or the like. The present invention is more flexible by using a rotating ring that can mount on either side of the light source and has a stronger securing means by the use of a groove and ring design. In addition, the devices of Pease and Clemmer are designed for specialized use and are not as versatile as the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable and multi-purpose illumination device that overcomes the limitations of prior art illumination devices, such as flashlights and the like. It is an additional object to provide an illumination device that allows a user to illuminate and view obstructed areas that would normally not be possible. It is a further object of the invention to provide an illumination device that is self-supporting and configured to allow a user to readily position a lens, mirror, and a source of light precisely at a location where it will be most useful without a need to find additional objects or items to support the light source. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a portable and multi-purpose illumination device that wraps and collapses around itself for compact storage.